Combined basket handle and cover fastener



April 20 1926. 1,581,407

F. B. TOWNSEND COMBINED BASKET HANDLE AND COVER FASTENER Filed May 14, 1925 INVENTOR FIZZIZkB. 751021561105 @fwximw.

ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 20, 1926;

UNITED STATES 1,581,407- PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK IBOGABTTOWNSEND, or unit rim, miw Yonx, nssronon or ONE-HALF To Joan a. mantra, or 2mm rm, nnw Yonx.

COMBINED BASKET HANDLE- AND COFER FASTENEB. I

Application filed Kay 14, 1935. Serial No. 30,890.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK B. TOWNSEND, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Penn Yan, in the county of Yates and State 6 of New York, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Combined Basket Handles and Cover Fasteners,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to combined han- 10 dies and cover fasteners for grape baskets. The object is to simplify the construction and thus lower the cost of manufacture of devices of this class, and yet provide a bandle and fastener which may be formed of a single length of wire shaped and proportioned to be readily fed into an attachingmachine, and automatically applied to the basket in a manner to greatly expedite the operation and eliminate considerable hand work that is usually necessary.

Another object is to provide a handle and fastener which may be bundled or boxed for shipment in quantities, prior to their attachment to baskets, and which will not become entangled so as to impede the operation of attachment, said devices being formed exactly alike at each end whereby theymay be fedand attached at either end.

A final object is to provide a device of this character which, when applied, will sustain the load by distributing the strain around the entire basket through the inner and outer bands thereof, and which is prevented from being driven down on the basket by accidental pressure upon the'handle, the latter being so moimted as to prevent rocking movement on the basket during transit by the weight 'of superimposed baskets, and finally having means for readily permitting 40 the cover to be sprung into place to rest upon the upper edges and-entirely around the basket and prevent said cover from being accidentally dislodged.

s A full and complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from a consideration of the following detailed description,

taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, it being understood that 'while the drawing shows a practical form of the invention, the latter. is not to be confined to strict conformity with theshowing thereof, but may be changed or modified, so long as such changesor modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention,- as

throughout the several figures specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing, in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved handle and fastener prior to its attachment to a basket;

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the device applied in position upon an ordinary grape basket.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the device, only a fragment of the basket and cover being shown.

.ure 2 of the drawing, and at each end of the portion 1 the wire is bent downwardly to form a curve 2, which is stronger in supporting a load than an angular bend, and serves also to impart a greater amount of resiliency in supporting a loaded or filled basket, this being desirable as a cushioning means to avoid bruising or damaging fruit, etc., this cushioning eii'ect being enhanced by slightly curving the handle proper 1, as shown.

From the curved bends 2, the terminal portions of the wire composing the device, are extended downwardly and inwardly to form converging hanger arms 3, at the lower ends of which, the wire is bent or curved outwardly, on substantially the same radius as the aforesaid bonds 2, to define inwardly facing shoulders 4, the said curve being for a specific purpose, as will be explained.

The bends 4 constitute upper shoulders, and at the outer, lower ends of the same, the wire is bent downwardly in substantially vertical direction to form short arms or abutments 5, at the lower ends'of which, the wire is again bent outwardly to provide substantially horizontal inwardly facing 'shoul- I ders 6. The shoulders 4 and 6 are arranged in the same vertical plane, but in different horizontal planes. The short arms provide for the thickness of the cover between the two shoulders, enabling the edge of the cover to be flush with the edge of the basket.

The relatively short horizontal portions 6 constitute lower inwardly facing shoulders, and theymerge at their outer ends into depending arms 7 which are slightly inclined towards each other to accord with the inclined sides of an ordinary grape or other basket, as shown in Figure 2.

The length of the arms 7 is slightly greater than the width of the inner and outer reinforcing bands found at the top edges of commercial grape baskets of veneer formation and at the lower ends of said arms 7, the terminal portions of the wire are bent, as at 8, to define inwardly directed,

- opposed clamping or clinching members 9, the

inner, free ends of which are oinfed, as shown at 10, to facilitate their entrance through the veneer sidesof the box.

In applying the combined basket handle and cover fastener in position on the basket by means of a stapling or attaching machine, which it has been deemed unnecessary to illustrate, the hangers 3, together with the several parts carried by the free ends thereof, are sprung apart to separate the points 10 sufliciently to pass the sides of the basket,

when said points are forced through the veneer sides 11 immediately below the lower ----edges of the outer band 12 and the inner band 13 of the basket. The clinching members 9 are then bent upwardly to form a complete return band 8 where traversing the sides of the basket, and are caused to compress the inner and outer bands together, with the upper portions of the sides between the same and the outer arms 7, the point 10 bein located somewhat below the upper edges t ereof.

With the device thus secured to the basket, the lower shoulders 6 rest squarely upon the upper edges of the bands and basket, and effectually prevent any rocking movement of the handle and fastener longitudinally of the basket about the return band 8 as an axis; and it will be seen that the upper shoulders 4 are elevated above the said upper edges of the bands and sides sufficiently to allow the top or cover tobe placed beneath the same. Said cover may be formed of a solid piece of thin wooden board, as in the case of smaller baskets, or the same may be in the form of crossed slats 14 and 15 running transverslyand longitudinally of the basket, as illustrated in the drawing, which form is preferably used on larger sized baskets. In either case the sides of the cover are notched as at 16 so as to prevent any longitudinal movement of the cover upon the basket, and by fitting one of the notches around the relatively short arm or abutment 5 at one side of the basket,

the o posite notch 16 may be forced past the roun ed shoulder 4 at that side, by slightly springing or flexing the cover, and caused to fit around the arm or abutment 5 in the same manner, the said abutments' against the inner ends of said notches and effectually holding the cover from movement longitudinally of the basket. The shoulders 4 by overlying the upper face of the cover, also prevent any upward movement of the cover, and it becomes necessary, in removing the cover to bend or flex it to spring the inner end of one notch 16 past the inner rounded face of the shoulder 4. Any blow or Wei ht imposed upon the handle, such as mig t be encountered during transit in large shipments, is impartedto the lower shoulders 6, which, by resting firmly upon the upper edges of the inner and outer bands and the sides of the basket, prevent the return bends 8 from being driven downwardly through the thin veneer sides 11, which often occurs where ordinary handles are employed. By reason of this rigid connection, the handle is also prevented from any rockmg movement longitudinally of the basket which might be caused by the shifting of superimposed baskets during shipment.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a simple, cheaply manufactured and easily attached handle and cover fastener has been provided for use in connection with grape or other baskets which may be secured in position by a simple operation to stand rigidly in upright position to distribute the weight of the contents, when serving as a handle, entirely around the inner and outer bands, and WhlCll efi'eetually holds the cover in position to prevent accidental dislodgment thereof.

What is claimed is 1. A combined basket fastener wherein the cover is provided with notches at each side, comprising a transversely disposed grip wire, the end portions of the wire being bent into depending hanger arms, and two inwardl facin and downwardly stepped shoul ers in t e same vertical plane but in different horizontal planes, said shoulders being connected by a relatively short substantially vertical arm which receives the notch in the cover, the terminals of'the wire being extended inwardly toward each other and pointed for attachment to the basket.

2. A combined basket handle and cover fastener wherein the cover is provided with notches at each side, formed of a single length of wire, the wire being bent in spaced relation to its ends to constitute an intermediate grip portion and to provide downwardly directed and inwardly extending, hanger arms, each arm being bent at its lower end to provide upper horizontally disportion formed of posed inwardly facing shoulders, and again bent to form lower horizontally disposed inwardly facing shoulders arranged further apart than the upper shoulders, said shoulders being connected by a short substantially vertical arm which is located on the inside of the basket and receives the notch in the cover, the terminals of the wire being then extended downwardly for a distance and thence inwardly and provided with terminal points for cllnching attachment to the basket.

3. A combined basket handle and cover fastener formed of wire and comprising a grip portion arranged transversely of the basket and having terminal hanger arms joined thereto, said arms downwardly converging toward each other, and provided with outwardly curved terminals constituting upper shoulders to traverse notches in the sides of said cover and to overlie and hold the same, said shoulders terminating at their outer ends in vertically disposed arms to fit the inner ends of said notches, said arms being joined to lower shoulders which rest upon the top edges of the basket and the inner and outer bands thereof, and terminate at their outer ends in downwardly directed arms to lie against the outer face of the said outer band, said arms being bent inwardly at substantially right angles to provide clinching arms having terminal points and adapted to be forced endwise through the sides of the basket below the bands and thence bent upwardly against the inner face of the inner band to rigidly hold the device in place on the basket.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature.

FRANK BOGART TOWNSEND. 

